Do You Love Him?

Introduction

Our love for Jesus is the most important thing that we will ever possess. Our love for Jesus is the most precious of our possessions. This love or this issue of love is the cord that connects us to Christ. It was his love for us that caused him to be crucified. It is our love for him that causes us to be Christians. Causes us to be Christians, our love doesn't just make us Christians because true Christianity is more than just our love for Jesus. A person could argue that the Bible itself is a love story. In the Old Testament you have a story about a God who loved his people, but a people who loved everything but God. In the New Testament, you have a story about a Son who loved his father so much that he became willing [G1] [G2] to lower himself from heaven into the earth and die at the hands of loveless people all because his father so loved the world. Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (). Love is the greatest gift and love is our greatest possession. To illustrate the value of love, take the love a parent has for a child as an example. Over the course of the year's, things will change. Looks will change, clothes will change, voices will change, the conversations will change. But there is one thing that will not change. LOVE! Love is the ingredient that makes any relationship work. Love covers a multitude of sin. () You can't' have a real anything without real love. You can't' have a real relationship. You can't have a real friendship. You can't [G3] [G4] have a real church. You can't have a real heart. You can't even be a real Christian if you don't have real love.[G5] [G6] [G7] [G8]

Since we're talking about a relationship we must examine our relationship with Jesus on the basis of this question, "Do you love him?". We don't have reason to question his love for us. He has already demonstrated his love for us.[G9]

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Lord’s love has already been verified, but in order to make this thing official we have to ask ourselves, “Do I love him?”

We enter this scene as Jesus is interviewing one of his followers and friends, Peter. Peter who at one point was the spokesperson for the disciples. Peter who at one point claimed to be the most loyal of the bunch was now sitting face to face with his resurrected Savior beside a bundle of hot coals. Which by the way, mirrors the scene that was described moments before Peter denied his master, not once, not twice, but three times. Now he sits face to face with the man he betrayed and has to answer questions about his love. We conclude that this was the scene where Peter was forgiven and restored after denying Christ, but I believe there are a few more things we can take away from this encounter.

Consider this scene from Peters perspective. Initially, when John informed Peter that it was Jesus on the seashore giving them directions on where to cast their nets, Peter was ecstatic to see Jesus. So excited, that Peter threw on his clothes, jumped into the sea and swam to the shore to meet Jesus. He was enthusiastic about seeing the risen Savior but not as excited about answering questions about this love for the Lord. A genuine relationship with Jesus will not allow you to separate your excitement about Jesus and your affection for Jesus. Many of us have to deal with this war within ourselves. Because Peter was enthused about fellowshipping with Jesus, but later we will discover that he was not excited about being held accountable by Jesus. Think about the loved ones we have shunned because they tried to hold us accountable. Our enthusiasm is destroyed because we don’t like accountability. But real love always requires real accountability. That’s a lesson for us as we find new friends and strengthen our current friendships. Our time with one another should be equal parts accountability and fellowship.

From Peter's perspective, as he swam to the shore he was expecting a reunion with two friends. But from Jesus' perspective, this reunion would be about restoration. Peter anticipated fellowship, Jesus demanded accountability. We want to look at this scene in relation to this question, "do you love him?". This question forces us to learn about ourselves, our service, and the Lord's sheep.

I. Self

This dialog between Jesus and Peter was personal, just like our relationship with Jesus is personal. In this interview, Jesus asks Peter a personal question, and Peter learns some things about himself that he wouldn't have learned otherwise. We cannot discover ourselves or find our identity until we have discovered a deep personal relationship with Jesus. You can learn a lot about yourself by asking this simple question, "Do you Love Jesus?". It's impossible for us to understand ourselves without a union with Jesus. C.S. Lewis says, "we have a God-sized hole in us that only God can fill". Without a relationship with Jesus, we don't know that what's in us is greater than what's around us. Without a relationship with Jesus, we don't know that we've been saved by the blood of the lamb. Without a relationship with Jesus, we're sons and not slaves. When [G1] [G2] [G3] [G4] [G5] Jesus asked Peter this question about his love it forced Peter to reflect deeply and think about his past in relation to his present. Before Peter could provide an answer, he was forced to think back to how he had denied Jesus. Peter didn’t have the luxury of shrugging off Jesus’ question as if he had never given Jesus a reason to think that he didn’t love him. He had to deal face the facts of his actions in the past and reconcile them with his feelings about Jesus in the present. This question of love is an important question not for Jesus sake but for Peter’s sake, and for our sake. Because Jesus is God, Jesus knows all things. Peter is aware of this because he says, “Lord you know everything; you know that I love you.” () Jesus knows what’s in Peter’s heart but Jesus also knows that it’s important that Peter knows what’s in his heart. Jesus knows what's in each of our hearts, but we need to know what's in our hearts. Do you love him? This question forces us to look deep into our hearts and determine whether our love for Jesus is real because our actions don't always line up. Peter had denied Jesus three times, now three times [G6] Peter was forced to affirm his love for Christ. Peter had let Jesus down in a major way. As a matter of fact, you could argue that Peter's denial played a huge role in Jesus crucifixion. Peter messed up pretty bad, yet he still had the opportunity to pledge his allegiance and his love for the man he had denied. This question of love helps us to [G7] [G8] understand where our hearts are even after we have been unfaithful. It’s important that we be able to search our hearts even after our setbacks and know that we still have a heart for Jesus. After David was done sinning and then trying to cover it up he prayed to the Lord: [G9] [G10]

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Although your actions might not be perfect, you need your heart to be pure. You need to know what’s in your heart. What’s in your heart determines what you are, and if you’re going to be a follower of Jesus you’ve got to love Jesus. I’m so thankful that despite my slip ups and setbacks the Lord restored me because there was still love in my heart. We shouldn’t look at Peter’s betrayal and try to figure out what Peter’s sin teaches us about Peter. Sometimes we need to look at someone else’s situation and take the time to realize what their situation may be teaching us about ourselves. That’s why we spend so much talking about everybody else’s stuff only to end up doing the same stuff they did. Peter wasn’t the last person to deny Jesus. You can use Peter as a mirror as you answer this question, “Do you love him?”. This question teaches us two things about ourselves, our guilt and our affections.

Jesus very first iteration of the question was different from the last two versions of the question. When Jesus first submits his question to Peter he asks it this way: [G11]

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?...”

Jesus challenged Peter to compare his affection for him to his affection for something that was near to him. There are a few different opinions on who exactly “more than these” was. Some say that when Jesus said more than these, Jesus was referring to the fishing nets that were used to catch the fish. In other words, his stuff. Others say that Jesus was perhaps referring to the other disciples who Peter had spent time with and grown close to. Either the goal of this question was to force Peter to understand that his love for Jesus had to be greater than anything else around him.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Luke records Jesus teaching of the cost of discipleship and he uses a term that seems extreme in our English rendition. But all he’s really saying is that you’ve got to love me more than everybody else in your life. Do you love him? Before you answer that question, I need to tell you that it’s not just enough to love him, but you must love him more than you love anything else. In answering this question, we learn about our affections and where they stand. We find out what things might be standing in between us and Jesus. We find out what things we might need to remove or demote in order to strengthen our relationship with Jesus.

This question teaches us some things about self, first our affections, but it also reveals our guilt. When Jesus asks the question for the first time it pokes at Peter’s affections, but when he asks the third time it reveals Peter’s guilt. Remember Peter had denied Jesus three times, now before Jesus would restore him he forced Peter to affirm his love three times. It was on that third time that Peter became aggravated.

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me? …”

Peter wasn’t grieved because he was an innocent person being questioned about something he hadn’t done. Peter was grieved because he was a guilty person being questioned about something he knew he had done. This question forced Peter to face the facts of his past and to accept responsibility for what he had done. Owning up to the facts is hard, it's humbling, and it leaves us feeling vulnerable. But the reason so many of us don't know we are and who we are in Christ is that we won't tell the truth about who we are. Essentially, Peter was able to say yes, I've denied [G12] [G13] you but Lord I love you. What's so sweet about being able to face the facts when it comes to our love for Jesus is that Jesus already knows the facts, yet he loves us anyway. It does us no good to pretend with Jesus. It feels good to be able to say, Lord, I have a past but, I want you to know that I love you. Lord, I've let you down, but I love you. [G14] [G15] [G16] The great thing about serving the Lord is that he doesn’t use the past to berate us or belittle us. He uses it to set us free. That’s why we shouldn’t run away from the truth about who we are. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Lord if nobody else knows, you know the truth about me, but Lord I just want to tell you I love you. Peter’s guilt was evidence that he came to grips with the truth about who he was and what he had done. My brothers and sisters, when you grapple with this question of love, you will have to deal with some guilt. But don’t let it deter you from Christ because through Christ and your love for Christ it will help you see your faults more clearly and Christ’s love more vividly.

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II. Service

Through thinking about this question, we not only learn new things about ourselves, we learn a lesson about service. Peter is questioned about his love three times and each time he confirms his love for Jesus, Jesus responds with a request for Peter to serve. Jesus asks, “do you love me?”. Peter says, “yes I love you”. Jesus says, “then serve”. Jesus was interested in Peter’s words, but he was more interested in Peter’s actions. But the fact that the question of love precedes the command of service teaches us that the qualification for service is love for Christ. Jesus is always commanding people to serve. One of the ways Jesus tests our love is by looking at our service. True service is birthed from a love for Jesus. Service is the result of love or the effect of love. If you notice the order of events in the conversation love comes before the command. Peter was being interviewed for a job and he didn’t even know it. He was being interviewed and the master only had one question during the whole interview. Do you love me? I’m here to tell you that you don’t need but one thing to work for the Lord, and that’s to love him. If you want to work for the Lord it’s the easiest interview you’ll ever have. I’ll give you the questions right here: [G1]

1. Do you love me more than these?

2. Do you love me?

3. Do you love me?

This is the easiest interview and hiring process you will ever be a part of. The good master doesn’t care about how much education you have. How much experience on the job you have. He doesn’t care about your GPA or test scores. The only thing that matters is that you love him. That’s the only qualification for working in the Lord’s vineyard.

Honestly, it’s not that you can be employed, if you love the Lord you should be employed. If you love the Lord, then you should be working for the Lord. After Peter responds with a yes, Jesus doesn’t say you can feed my sheep, he tells him firmly, “Feed my sheep”. Your love for Jesus qualifies you for service, but your love for Jesus also commands you to serve Jesus. James explains this relationship between our love for Jesus and our work for Jesus in more simple terms, “Faith without works is dead”. You can’t claim to love Jesus and not break a sweat for Jesus. That’s not how love works, there’s nothing lazy about love. Look at the way Jesus loves, he’s always doing something for us. Think back to just last night when he watched over you as you slept so much like death you didn’t even know you were in the world. Then at some point this morning he woke you up from your slumber with the same mind you laid down with. He got you out of the bed and walked with you to the closet, put clothes in the closet, helped you put the clothes on your back. Gave you enough function in your legs to get in the car he provided. Helped you remember the way to his house. Protected you at every intersection. He did all that for you without you even taking the time to stop and say thank you Lord for all you’ve done for me. Maybe you’ve just never thought about any of those things. What about the long list of things you asked him to do, and as soon as you got done praying he started working. You said Lord I promise I won’t do it again, and he got you out. You said Lord watch over my family, and they’re still here. You said Lord I need you to bear my burdens, and he started lifting. You can’t have real love without some real service and if you love the Lord he requires you to serve. Our love should put us into action just like Jesus loves puts him into action. Do you love him? If the answer to that question is yes then my next question is, are you serving him? From this question of love, we learn that real love goes beyond lip service.

III. Sheep

This question of love teaches us about self, service, and finally sheep. We’ve discussed that love precedes service. Love both qualifies you to serve and commands you to serve. But this love teaches us that service is more than just doing something. It’s doing something for someone. If service is our what, then the sheep are our why. Now many understand these three commands by Jesus to, “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, and “Feed my sheep” to be pastoral instructions for Peter. Certainly, it is the job of every shepherd to feed and tend to the lambs and sheep. It is also the job of every believer to serve and assist in feeding the sheep and the lambs. It’s all of our duty to care for and to serve the people of God. This isn’t the only place in the New Testament Jesus calls for believers to care for the people around them. states that on one occasion an expert of the Law asked Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responded by telling him:

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

He then proceeds to tell the story of the good Samaritan and teaches the man how to be a good neighbor. James tells us in :

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

Our love for Jesus should move us to serve others. If our love is for Jesus, we should not look to only serve ourselves. If Jesus is the object of our love, then his sheep should be the object of our service. As a footnote, I love for the Lord instantly connects us to the Lord’s sheep. In serving the sheep we have to be careful how we treat the sheep. If our service is a result of our love, then we should serve with love, not begrudgingly or unwilfully. If what you do for the sheep is because of love, then let it be done in love. The sheep are our object of service. But our love for Jesus is our why. Experts have concluded that when you know your why it will help you to be successful in what you do. That’s partly correct. Knowing your why is just part of the equation. You do need to know your why to find motivation, but you need Jesus to be your why in order to ensure success. Our service will be successful as long as remember who we are serving and why we are serving.

One other thing you need to remember about the sheep is that the sheep belong to God. Jesus here uses the possessive adjective, ‘my’. We must care for the sheep like they belong to him. They belong to God and that makes them precious. If you love the Lord then my next question is, “Do you love his sheep?”. Your love for the Lord should affect the way you treat his sheep. Love is what connects the shepherd to his sheep and love connects the sheep to one another. Again, many commentators have made the case that this charge to care for the sheep is a pastoral charge to Peter, but I would like to remind us that it is the responsibility of every person who loves the Lord to express that love by caring for the sheep. Many of our friends and family members and neighbors are perishing because they aren't being fed and they don't have any guidance. Do you love him? Well, when is the last time you shared the good news about Jesus Christ? Do you love him? Well, when is the last time you took someone's hand and prayed for them? Do you love him? When is the last time you made a sacrifice to help someone in need? Jesus expressed his love by making the ultimate sacrifice for the sheep.[G1] [G2] [G3]

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

If you love the Lord, then your service cannot be about yourself. This doesn’t just apply on an individual level, this applies to the local church as well as the broader body of Christ. What if Jesus, who out of his love for his father, humbled himself and descended into the earth had come and died only to save himself? His love drove him to the cross for us. His love made him like a sheep being led to the slaughter for us. His love lifted us. His love saved us. When nothing else could help, his love lifted us.

Conclusion

The most important possession that I have, and I don’t have much, is my love for Jesus. You can’t take what little bit I have but no one can take away my love for the Lord. I am a child of God, and you can’t turn me around. This is the assurance that we have, that even when we’ve been unfaithful the Lord still loves us, and the Lord is still making ways for us. Because of his unfailing love, my love for him will never fade. I’ve resolved in my mind and down in my heart, come what may I will love him until my dying day. You can talk about me, you can misuse me, you can hurt me, you can disrespect me, plot against me, take my money, take my stuff. But one thing I know is I’ll love the Lord until the day that I die, and because I love him I will serve him.

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